Car-coupling



(No Model.)

G. T. ROHNI GAR COUPLING;

No. 606,583. Patented June 28, 1898-.

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amummr nwntoz U IT D STATES as will enable others skilled in the art towhich.

car to enable the trainman standing upon one PATENT QFFTCE.

GEORGE T IIEOPHILUS ROHN, OF HERSMAN, ILLINOIS.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFIGATICN forming part of Letters Patent No. 606 583, dated June 28,1898.

Application filed January 12, 1898- Serial No. 666,430. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE THEOPHILUS' ROHN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Hersman, in the countyof Brown and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inOar-Couplers and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such it appertains to make anduse the same.

My invention relatesto a no vel car-coupler,

and has for its obj ect the production of a simple and efficient deviceof this character which.

A furtherobject is to provide means whereby when one of the hooks iselevated or released it will cause the elevation and uncoupling of theopposing hook carried by the other of the cars to simultaneouslyuncouple the hooks carried by both cars and designed, respectively, toengage the opposing coupler.

To these ends the invention consists in providing what is known as atwin-hook coupler, with a laterally-extending yielding arm upon the hookdesigned to engage the opposing hook and to cause thesimultaneouselevation or uncoupling of both hooks when one or the other is actuatedfor the purpose of uncoupling the cars. r

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of thecontiguous ends of two cars equipped with" my device. Fig. 2 is a topplan view'of the coupler'on a somewhat enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is asimilar View showing the parts in the positions they assume when thevehicles are apart.- Fig. 4 is a plan View, on a large scale, of one ofthe hooks, showing the several positions of the hook-elevating arm andFig. 5 is an end view of a car equippedwith my coupler. Fig. 6 is aVertical section of my coupler.

Referring to the numerals on the drawings, 1 and 2 indicate vehicles-as,for instance,'cars designed to be coupled togetherprovided with theusual draw-heads 3, at the contigudepressions to permit slightmovementof the' hook within the coupler when the cars are brought together withsome violence, this play of the hook within the coupler preventing itsbeing jostled out of engagement under the somewhat violent shock whichusually accompanies the coupling of the cars. The rear or pivoted endsof the coupling-hooks are enlarged somewhatand the forward lower faces13 of these enlarged ends are inclined and are opposed to asimilarly-inclined face 14 at the upper forward corner of the side ofthe opposing coupler,which contains the depression 8 for the receptionof the hook.

It will now be seen that when two couplers constructed-in accordancewith the foregoing description are brought together the inclined faces10 of the hooks will contact with the opposed inclined faces 14 upon theopposing coupler, and the hooks'will ride until the nose 9 has advancedfar enough to drop into the depressionS. Opposite movement of thecouplers will, now bring the opposedperpendicular faces of the hook andrecess into engagement and a positive coupling will be'effected.

In order to effect the uncouplingof the cars, I

it was originally contemplated to provide elevating devices upon eachcar which could be actuated to raise the hook out of engagement with thecoupler; but it will be observed that such a construction wouldnecessitate the operation of the hook-releasing mechanism carried byboth cars, and as this would be practically impossible I have devisedsimple means for causing either of the hooks when elevated to effect theelevation of the hook upon the opposing coupler. In this manner thetrainman standing upon either car can simultaneously effect the couplingor disengagement of the hooks carried by both cars. Each of the hooks isprovided at a point adjacent to and slightly above its pintle with anelongated longitudinally-disposed slot 5, in which is terminally pivotedwhat may be termed a hook-elevating arm 16, consisting of the pivotedend 17 and the somewhat elongated end 18 in parallel planes and theintermediate right-angular portion 19. This arm is pivoted within theslot, as indicated at 20, and the end 18 extends laterally from the saidface of the hook at a point in advance of the arm 17, a spring 21 beinglocated between one end of the slot and the contiguous face of the end17 of the arm for-the purpose of retaining the latter in its normalposition. \Vhen the coupling of the cars is effected, the arm 18,carried by each hook, is extended slightly under the opposing hook,which is either provided with a depression for the extremity of the armor the latter may be located immediately under the portion of the hookin front of the nose. It will now be seen that when one of the hooks iselevated the arm carried thereby will simultaneously elevate theopposite hook until the latter has cleared the coupler. As the cars arenow drawn apart should the nose of one hook engage the arm of theopposing hook, if said arms were stationary or fixedly secured, a secondcoupling would be effected. For this reason I have pivotally mountedthese arms and have provided the springs which, while retaining saidarms in their proper positions to engage the hooks, will permit of asufficient yielding of the latter to enable the hooks to be immediatelydisengaged therefrom as the couplers are drawn apart. It will be seenthat the disengagement of the hooks from the yielding arms takes placeafter said arms have been raised sufficiently to clear the shoulders 1i,and while the hooks thus raised will not pull in a direct line upon theyielding arms the movement will be sufficiently approximate thereto tocause the arms to yield for disengaging the hooks in a manner that willbe readily understood. Any suitable means for elevating these hooks maybe employed; but I prefer to mount a transverse shaft 22 upon each ofthe cars immediately above the draw-heads and having forwardly-extendinglevers 23, connected to the hooks, as by flexible pieces 2%, and, ifdesirable, the arms or levers 23 may be also connected to the lowerextremities of upwardly-extending connecting-rods 25, provided withhandles 26, above the top of the ear to permit the trainman to elevatethe arms 23, and thereby effect the elevation of the connected hookwhich automatically effects the elevation of the opposin g hook, as wehave seen heretofore.

Suitable handles 27 are secured to the opposite ends of the shafts 22 topermit the trainman standing at the side of the ear to effect thecoupling of the parts in an obvious manner.

Thus I am enabled to produce a simple, durable, and efficient couplingof the class known as twin hooks, which will be automatically coupledand which may be uncoupled by a trainman standing upon either car or toone side thereof, the usual danger to life and limb being absolutelyeliminated; but while the present embodiment of my invention appears tobe preferable I do not desire to limit myself to the structural detailsset out, but reserve the right to change, modify, or vary them at willwithin the scope of the protection prayed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a coupling and pivoted hook, of alaterally-extended, springactuated pivoted arm carried by the hook, anddesigned to effect the elevation of the opposing hook, substantially asspecified.

2. The combination with a coupler provided with a depression adjacent toone side, and with a pivoted hook adjacent to its opposite side, of anangular laterally-extended arm pivoted within the slot in said hook, anda spring bearing against said arm, substantially as specified.

3. The combination with a coupler provided with a depression adjacent toone side, of a pivoted hook adjacent to the other side of the coupler,an angular laterally-extending hookelevating arm pivotally mounted in alongitudinal slot in said hook, a spring mounted within the slot anddesigned to retain the arm in its normal position, a shaft extendinglaterally across the car, an arm carried by the shaft and operativelyconnected with the hook, a connecting-rod likewise connected to saidhook and extending to the top of the car, and handles upon theconnecting-rod and shaft, whereby the hook may be elevated to uncouplethe cars and may cause the uncoupling of the opposed hook through themedium of the laterally-extending arm, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE TIIEO'IIIILUS ROIIN. lVitnesses:

JOHN \VATKINS,

JOHN A. McCA'nn.

